In New Book, Princess Falls in Love with Slave with Tragic Consequences

Seattle, WA (MMD Newswire) February 12, 2013 -- Debut playwright, Nathaniel Apheyso, announces the release of his drama, Love Is Treason, a controversial work that gives a twist to the understanding of love, not as a comedy but as a tragedy.

The play is set in a typical African kingdom, where kingship is by royal blood inheritance. The king had an only girl-child. However, were the princess to marry a slave, he would have to be the next king who would rule over the land. But this is a thing unheard of according to the royal tradition. Edged on, the king for pride of self and nation ignored the warning to let the princess have whatever she so desires. In the end, the slave- boy was executed for daring to fall in love with the princess.

The princess, in her part, after killing her imposed husband, took her own life to spite her people even though the gods predicted that she was going to bring fame and fortune to the kingdom.

It was a thing of shame to the king when the princess refused to choose from any of the freeborn young bachelors who had come to ask for her hand in marriage. It began as a rumor that the princess was in love with the slave boy in the palace. But it became public when the queen mother catches both lovers in an uncompromising circumstance.

The slave-boy-marry-the-princess story was taboo in the village, even in African tradition, but the author, Nathaniel Apheyso, does not think so. He says: "To the princess, the feeling of love was so strong that she elected to break the selfish traditional imposition of suitors on brides by their parents on the false assumption of securing and protecting their future."

The play has now been published in paperback on Amazon Createspace. Click to read a free preview of the paperback edition below:

Nathaniel Apheyso is a Nigerian born writer, poet, and playwright. His first work is an all children delight, The Noodles Family Story, followed by the controversial drama, The Gods are to Blame. Others include Love is Treason, a tragic love tale, Oruku, and Like a Poison in the Heart, all drama. His other work includes a children book, Once Upon a Time Fairy Tales. The author has also written a collection of poems, entitled Beautiful Dreams.